


Weight of a Wish

by Autumn - Gaia (GaiaMaiden)



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 03:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30133080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaiaMaiden/pseuds/Autumn%20-%20Gaia
Summary: A teaser short story for an AU I'd like to explore later on, involving my Elezen OC (Autumn Darbonne) :3-Takes place just after the events of Patch 4.4
Kudos: 2





	Weight of a Wish

_What .. ...-? The ri..!_

_I .... determined ... ..timal .... for this ........... Prioritiz... energy from ............. maintenance. Collap.... ....._

_....., wait! ..... .. nothing outside .... .... ... empty .....! We’ll be .... ... ..to ... void!_

_Affirmative. .... demise ... factored .... .. ............... ... probability .. hostile ........ ............ with ... ..config........ process ... un.......... high. . acknow..... .... Value .. .... ...jects. ... ... are not irreplac...... Once m. .......... .. complete, I .... .... ..... .. lure .. ... ........ Test... ... continue. **** ...... ..............._

_We’re being ..... away... Run, ......! Run!_

_I’m t.....! I ..... ..... you!_

_......!_

_...!_

_..._

_..! ...! …..! ..... ..... .. ......!_

_........._

_.......! ......!_

_...................._

_Hellllllllllllllllp-!_

“Gaaaaah!”

Autumn’s voice rang out into the empty bedroom as she shot up from her bed with a start. A deafening heartbeat was the only thing she could perceive as her eyes slowly came into focus; a consequence of the adrenaline still raging in her veins.

Her senses dulled, she did not notice a pounding of footsteps running up the stairs. The boom of the door slamming open, however, made her flinch in fright.

“Autumn! Are you okay?!”

Autumn’s Lalafellin retainer, Raradi, shot into the room, skidding to a halt halfway in with her head darting in every direction, scanning for some unknown threat. After seeing that nothing was out of place--and noting Autumn holding her hands up defensively from her--the young woman relaxed her stance with a pronounced exhale.

“S-sorry,” stammered Autumn, “I… had that nightmare again...”

Raradi huffed as she made a dramatic pout: “Thal take me, I’d like to have a word with the jerk in charge of your brain right now! At least start showing you something else or something... You’re never gonna get better if this keeps up!”

The bedridden Elezen hung her head in defeat. It wasn’t as if she had been trying to get proper rest since she last returned home, but it seemed like her body itself rebelled against the idea of recovering. Or at least allowing her a peaceful sleep, though it would seem to be more accurate to say a peaceful _end_ , as she could see light shimmering through her windows.

Raradi strolled up to the side of the bed to take a closer look at Autumn. “Feeling any better- Oh, wait, I should let you wake up more first. Sorry…” She punctuated her sudden apology with another of her customary bows.

A hand petting the top of her head served as Autumn’s customary response.

Stowing away her embarrassment, Raradi shot back to the entrance of the bedroom and sprinted down the stairs. “I’ll make you some breakfast right away!” she shouted behind her.

Alone in the room once more, Autumn shook her head slightly and proceeded to rub the sand from her eyes. The exhaustion that she felt at the moment was nothing new to her; she was never much of a morning person. Yet, she hoped that that was the only reason for how she felt, as she otherwise felt normal. A promising sign that she was finally on the road to recovery

Her first steps out of her bed proved that to be a vain hope. She still felt as if her entire body was being weighed down by some unseen force. Her legs moved through knee-deep mud as her arms were tied down with massive weights.

An entire week had come and gone, and she still was in no condition to fight.

 _And at a time like this no less…_ she mused.

Willing herself forward, she slowly ambled through the open doorway and soon arrived at the top of the stairs leading downward. Autumn held a tight grip on the handrail as she lowered herself down on the first of the steps. At the least, she was able to keep herself steady enough to move downward with each step; before, she had to put both feet on each step before moving down to the next.

As she reached the midway point, she leaned on the railing to the side in an effort to catch her breath. Her vantage point allowed her to gaze into the kitchen, where Raradi busied herself in front of a heated stovetop whipping what looked to be eggs in a small bowl. Despite what seemed like only mere moments ago, the industrious Lalafell had already prepared a fresh plate of waffles, and looked to be adding to the ensemble.

The creak of the wood beneath Autumn’s feet would alert the small retainer to her employer’s movements.

“Hey! What are you doing out of bed?! You can’t rest if you’re not in bed!” she chastised, as Autumn readied herself down the next set of stairs.

“I’m… fine, Raradi. Fine enough to not be incessantly _babied_ anywa-”

Autumn suddenly felt lightheaded as her foot reached down to the next step, cutting her off mid-sentence. The break in concentration was too much for the woman, as she soon felt herself falling forward, and landed at the base of the stairs with a loud crash.

“ _Autumn!_ ”

Raradi dropped the bowl she busied herself with moments earlier and bolted to Autumn’s side; the scrambled eggs spilling over the tile floor unceremoniously.

“Aaaaaaaagh… F***ing hells…” Autumn moaned. Raradi dragged Autumn around so that her back rested on the stairs just behind her, then fussed over the Elezen’s body, checking for any fresh injuries. Nothing more than a new scrape or two, from what it looked like, but this served as the final straw for the retainer.

“Okay, that does it! No more of this ‘I’ll rest up back at home’ nonsense, I’m taking you to a medic, _now_!”

A small side of Autumn wanted to protest, but the dull ache in her head made her more inclined to relent. Something was wrong with her, that much was clear. Being stubborn wasn’t going to save her friends any faster…

~~

Not wishing to place any more added risk than she had to, Raradi transported Autumn to Limsa Lominsa, and into the hands of the nearest infirmary. As the chirugeons carried Autumn to an empty bed, Raradi jotted down all the symptoms that she could remember as they talked with the staff. Once she had finished relaying everything she could, she then hurried herself outside, leaving behind a warning to not keep their eyes off the hardworking Elezen.

Being with her all these years taught her much about her employer and greatest friend, including many of her faults…

<bweem bweem>

<bweem bweem>

The linkshell in Raradi’s ear buzzed to life.

“Raradi here!” she chirped.

[ _We’re at the house now. Where are you?_ ]

“Still in Limsa; I just finished business at the Infirmary.”

[ _Did they find it on her?_ ]

“No… just the clothes she was wearing.”

[ _Alright. We’ll get to work then._ ]

“Leave something for me, I’m on my way home now! ...Oh! And uh… sorry about the egg on the floor.”

[ _The what-? ... <sigh> Nevermind. Just get back here. No distractions._]

Before Raradi could issue any rebuttals, the line went dead.

“She can be nice to _Autumn_ , so why can’t she be nicer to me?” pouted the Lalafell. “That was my first mess this whole moon, and it wasn’t even really my fault!” She shook her head as she made her way to the Chocobo porter; she paid for the return trip in advance, so she made sure to get her money’s worth.

An uneventful trip soon found Raradi back within the confines of Mist. As she opened the door to Autumn’s house, she could hear the shuffling of movement and searching, predominantly above her. Signs of activity could be seen already on the ground floor: Raradi’s mess from earlier had been cleaned up, and a number of the pantries next to the oven had their doors ajar. Some contents of said pantries could be visibly seen on the nearby counters. _Namryn was working quick_ , she thought to herself.

“Nothing here. Any luck?”

“None.”

“Very well… I’ll return downstairs then and start from the front door.”

“Hmm.”

The two voices grew silent as Raradi heard the bedroom door squeak open, joined soon after by the sounds of light footsteps on the wooden staircase. She soon caught sight of another diminutive person as they turned the corner; a young woman wearing a yellow, cat-eared hood.

“Ah, Raradi! Good to see you again!” chirped the Scion Krile.

“You too, Krile!” Raradi cheered back. “From what it sounded like, I guess you guys didn’t have any luck either?”  
  
“None, I’m afraid,” she sighed. “However, we’ve yet to use the Aetherometer. With any luck, it should provide us with a hint… I hope.”

As Krile wrestled the Aetherometer free from the holster on her arm, Raradi gave off a dramatic shrug, and accompanying sigh.

“I just don’t understand. She’s the bleeding _Warrior of Light_! How could she lose _that_ of all things?! Isn’t she like… _required_ to have that with her at all times?!”

“Not necessarily,” replied Krile, as she finished adjusting the device on her face. “Still, it is rather disconcerting that she misplaced it.”

With a flip of the switch, the machine unfolded, and whizzed into life. Krile began to scan the environment, in search of anything that could lead them all in the right direction. After glancing back at the entrance to the house, she began to trace a path that led up the stairs, and to the second floor. She wordlessly followed the trail upstairs, with Raradi following just behind her.

Krile pushed open the bedroom door once more, revealing a slightly disheveled room, with Autumn’s Xaela friend, Namryn, standing off in the corner. Raradi flashed a small wave to Namryn, who chose to respond with a stoic nod; neither wishing to distract Krile from her work.

The yellow-robed Lalafell slowly approached Autumn’s bed, and came to a stop right beside it. She then began to examine the bed closer; she lowered her head close to the level of the mattress, and tossed off the blankets that lay just on top. Another few moments later, Krile switched the device off, and removed it from her face. A puzzled scowl could be seen chiseled on her face.

“You are certain she had nothing on her?” she asked Raradi.

“I looked through everything myself,” answered the green Lalafell. “Just her clothes… and the chirugeons said that she had nothing else on her when they disrobed her. No jewelry, no hidden pouches… and nothing stuck anywhere, as far as anyone could tell from a glance.”

“That… makes no sense…!”

“How so?” prodded Namryn, as she moved closer to the two other women.

When she finished affixing her aetherometer back to her arm, Krile addressed the group: “Well first, let me start with the good news. Yes, I was able to pick up on the signature for it. Once more, Master Matoya’s Crystal Eye comes to our rescue.”

“So what’s wrong?” monotoned Namryn.

“I followed the higher concentrations of aether precisely to this spot here,” she responded, motioning to the bed beside.

“So… it’s in the mattress or something?” quizzed Raradi.

“If that were the case, it would show up on the aetherometer not unlike a blinding star! To speak plain, her Crystal is not here. Yet… this bed… or at least the _surface_ of the bed carries the strongest readings in the entire house.”

Raradi tilted her head in confusion while Namryn quietly watched on. “Meaning… what?” questioned the former.

“Well, it would stand to reason that anything in close contact with it would be exposed to more of its aether. A result like this could only possibly mean one thing: that she has the Crystal on her person... somewhere.”

“But… she doesn’t!” exclaimed Raradi.

“My point exactly, Raradi. It doesn’t make any sense. And before you ask, this concentration of aether suggests _recent_ exposure; This isn’t residual readings I’m seeing here.”

“She both has it and doesn’t have it...” mused Namryn aloud.

“Short of absorbing the Crystal into her very being, I can’t explain this!” Krile grumbled. “I feel crazy for even suggesting such an absurd theory. <sigh> ...As if we didn’t have enough on our plate as it was. I would love to poke Shtola’s brain about all this if I could.”

“Aiding the other Scions should still take priority,” instructed Namryn. “It is not like losing the Crystal suddenly robs her of her strength… yes?”

“I…”

Krile’s voice trailed off into silence. She did not know for certain, and the looming war with Garlemald made her not want to consider the possibility that that could be the case…

“When did she first notice it missing?” she deflected.

“Shortly after she first got home,” answered Raradi. “She was in pretty bad shape at that point, but it was the one thing that seemed to register with her.”

“Got home from _where_ , exactly?”

~~

“Workin’ late again, Chief?”  
  
“Aye… Jessie’s got me under a watchful eye, so I gotta keep my nose to the grindstone till we catch up abit.”

Tucked away in his workshop in Mor Dhona, Cid wiped away the latest sweat from his brow as he leaned back on his stool to accept a drink from his assistant, Wedge.

“You sure you don’t want me to help out any?”  
  
“You can best help by going home and getting some rest,” instructed Cid. “I got myself into this mess, after all. I’d rather have you and Biggs and all the rest in peak condition so we can knock all this out sooner. And paying off that blasted Nero’s ‘ _bill_ ’.”

“Alright then,” conceded Wedge. “Just don’t push yourself too hard, Chief. Especially after all that recent stuff…”

Cid leaned forward once more, and got to work on soldering the device in front of him, giving Wedge his cue to leave the workshop for the night. He glanced back once more at the Chief and flashed a small smile before pushing the door open, and letting it shut back in place.

Alone in the room once more, Cid finished a section of the circuit board in front of him before setting his tool down once more. With a haggard sigh, he pulled off the protective visor on his face and placed it on the table beside his work, and moved to take a sip of his drink.

“Industrious as ever, I see,” echoed a cold voice from the far side of the room.

Cid paused, his cup a breath away from his lips, and turned towards the door to the workshop; the source of the mystery voice. Perched in front of the door was the dim silhouette of an Au Ra woman wearing a long skirt, a narrow sword resting at her hip.

“Is that you, Namryn? Bit late for a social call, don’t you think?”

“Then it is good I am not here for a ‘social call’ then.”

As Namryn started to approach the workstation, Cid wheezed out a small chuckle.

“Business then? Might have to wait abit, Jessie has me under her heel at the moment-”

Sparks shot from Cid’s workstation as the sounds of splintering wood and ringing steel rang out into the mostly empty room, cutting off Cid’s jibe instantly. When the man came to his senses, he noted a sizable gash torn clean through his workstation, as Namryn held her rapier high up into the air.

“ _No_. No waiting. You answer my questions. _Now_.”

The air around Cid chilled considerably as he felt a piercing gaze of deadly intent stare him down.

“W-w-what is the meaning of this, Namryn?!”

“You were the one that brought her back, correct?”  
  
“B-brought… brought _who_ back-?”  
  
“ _AUTUMN!_ ” howled the Red Mage, pointing the tip of her blade straight at Cid. “You and those other two of yours were the first to bring her back to the Reach!”

Death looming mere ilms away from his face stunned Cid into silence; his words failing him as thoughts raced in his mind. Namryn continued her icy stare for another moment, before flashing the side of her mouth with a snarl and lowering her weapon. Blatant intimidation was getting her nowhere.

“The last we knew of Autumn’s movements, she had been ‘summoned’ to finish Omega’s game--or whatever it called the blasted thing.”

“R-right…”

“...”

“...”

“... _AND?!_ ”

“S-she beat it! She defeated Omega!” stuttered Cid, as he found the blade pointed at him anew. “N-not without consequence though; she practically collapsed as soon as Omega dissipated into the aether! Barely got out of the rift with our lives…”

“Did anything happen _specifically_ with her? Concussions? Aether sickness? Open wounds? _Anything?_ ”

“N-no! Not that we could tell! W-what is all this about anyways?! Has something happened to her?”

Namryn continued pointing her blade forward for a moment longer before lowering it once more, this time placing the weapon back at her hip. “She… she has been unwell since she returned back home. Lethargic. Light-headed. Troubles sleeping. A week later, and she cannot even descend stairs without falling down them.”

“ _What?!”_ exclaimed Cid. “Has she been taken to a doctor yet?”

The Au Ra gazed down at the floor with a sullen face. “She was earlier today, due to said incident. She believed that she was merely exhausted from her recent excursion, but her recovery has been cripplingly slow thus far. You were with her the entire time, so…”

Cid grimaced as Namryn’s voice died down into a whimper. “I’m sorry, Namryn. I… I wish I had more to tell you. I observed her fight the entire time, and she suffered no major injuries from what I witnessed. She seemed to keep things together up until the point when Omega ceased to function… then she just collapsed... I rushed into there shortly after, and that's when the whole area started falling apart.”

Namryn turned her back to the man and stood quietly for a few moments as she considered Cid’s testimony.

“Did she… drop anything at any point? Either when she first collapsed or during your flight from the Rift?” she probed.

Cid massaged his chin as he attempted to recall those moments. “Not that I saw. Why? Is she missing something?”

“She noted that her Crystal of Light was missing from her possessions when she arrived home. We have yet to locate it.”

“H-her Crystal?! I… I know we were in a hurry to get out of there, but I think I would have noticed her dropping something like _that_!”

“Tch. Came for answers, and only got more questions,” growled Namryn, as she turned away from the man. “Lovely.”

Another moment passed in silence.

“Where is Autumn? You mentioned she was taken somewhere?” asked Cid.

“Yes… an infirmary in Limsa Lominsa,” stated Namryn.

“As soon as I am able to, I’ll pay a visit to her. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help but… who knows. Maybe me being there will trigger something. Won’t know until I try.”

“...”

“...Namryn?”

“Are you sure that’s all you know?”

“Of course. We’re on the same side, Namryn. I want to help Autumn as much as you do.”

“...”

“...”

“...Cid?”

“Yes?”

“...If I find out that you lied to me about Autumn in any way…”

Namryn looked back at Cid; her voice was low and her eyes shone with an unfathomable darkness.

“I will kill you. I have lost one family already. I will _not_ lose another.”

The woman’s steps echoed sharply in the large room as she left, and the door boomed shut as she left.

Once he felt that Namryn had left the area, Cid heaved out a haggard sigh as he slumped forward on his workstation.

“Heh, Jessie has nothing on her. Good thing she’s _our_ ally.”

<crack>

“Hmm?”

<crack- _CRASH_ >

“Agh!”

The wooden table in front of Cid suddenly collapsed in two; a fine line forming from the peak of the gap left by Namryn’s blade. Cid’s project and a whole host of tools crashed to the ground in response. From the corner of Cid’s eye, he noticed a yellow blur shoot upwards into the air, yelling out in an ever familiar tone:

“ _KWEEEeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEH!”_

< _THUD_ >

“So that’s where you ran off to!” Cid chuckled. “My apologies, Alpha, it wasn't my intention to scare you like that.”

The small, Chocobo-like creature sat on the ground, his head and eyes both spinning from the sudden launch and subsequent fall. He shook his head to regain his bearings, then tilted his head as he gazed upward at the engineer.

“Kweh?”

“I… don’t suppose you heard any of that conversation just now?” croaked Cid.

“Kweh kweh...”

Alpha’s gaze sunk to the floor, his eyes drooped in sadness as it chirped pitifully.

“So you did then…”

The man heaved another sigh as he slumped down on his seat. He sat still for a few seconds before feeling a beak press into his leg.

“Kweeeeeeeeeh…”

“I know, Alpha. I _should_ tell them. I just…” Cid hesitated. “I just… can’t. Not yet. In truth, I’m still trying to come to terms with it myself. Besides, even if I am right… what good would it do telling anyone?”

“Kweh.”

“...If her condition doesn’t improve soon, I’ll tell them. I promise. But lets not cross that bridge till we get to it, aye?”

“Kweh!”

Cid picked his head up, his sight settling on a diagram that still hung on the wall in front of him, despite his desk’s best efforts to remove it.

“Till then… lets just hope that the Warrior of Light pulls through…”

~~

_....._

Performing Auditory Systems Check. <blip> Auditory Systems operating at optimal levels.

_....._

Performing Tactile Sensors Check. <blip> Tactile Sensors operating at optimal levels.

_......_

Performing Processor Systems Check. <blip> Processor Systems operating at optimal levels. <bleep> Errors in multiple systems detected. Resuming repair operations.

-END


End file.
